§ 1271 — Criminal contempt; class A misdemeanor; class B misdemeanor

A person is guilty of criminal contempt when the person engages in any of the following conduct:

(1) Disorderly, contemptuous or insolent behavior, committed during the sitting of a court, in its immediate view and presence, and directly tending to interrupt its proceedings or to impair the respect due to its authority; or

(2) Breach of the peace, noise or other disturbance directly tending to interrupt a court’s proceedings; or

(3) Intentional disobedience or resistance to the process, injunction or other mandate of a court; or

(4) Contumacious refusal to be sworn as a witness in any court proceeding or, after being sworn, to answer any proper interrogatory; or

(5) Knowingly publishing a false or grossly inaccurate report of a court’s proceedings; or

(6) Intentional refusal to serve as a juror; or

(7) Intentional and unexcused failure by a juror to attend a trial at which the person has been chosen to serve as a juror; or

(8) Intentional failure to appear personally on the required date, having been released from custody, with or without bail, by court order or by other lawful authority, upon condition that the person will subsequently appear personally in connection with a criminal action or proceeding.

Criminal contempt is a class A misdemeanor, except for violations of paragraph (1) of this section. A violation of paragraph (1) of this section shall be a class B misdemeanor.

Legislative History

11 Del. C. 1953, § 1211; 58 Del. Laws, c. 497, § 1 ; 67 Del. Laws, c. 130, § 8 ; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1